Is RE/MAX or Red Barn Homebuyers cheaper to open?

RE/MAX costs $45,000–$265,500 and Red Barn Homebuyers costs $59,465–$257,820 to open (FDD Item 7). RE/MAX has the lower entry cost.

Which is the better franchise, RE/MAX or Red Barn Homebuyers?

FranchiseVerdict grades RE/MAX B and Red Barn Homebuyers B, from FDD Items 5–7, 19–21 and SBA loan performance. See the full side-by-side above.

RE/MAX vs Red Barn Homebuyers

Franchise Comparison 2026

Both RE/MAX and Red Barn Homebuyers are real estate franchises. RE/MAX requires an investment of $45K – $266K while Red Barn Homebuyers requires $59K – $258K. Neither RE/MAX nor Red Barn Homebuyers makes a financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD — a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule — so the two cannot be compared on disclosed unit revenue. RE/MAX has SBA lending data on file with a 14.2% charge-off rate. FranchiseVerdict rates RE/MAX B (Above average) and Red Barn Homebuyers B (Above average).

Metric	RE/MAX	Red Barn Homebuyers
Verdict Grade	BAbove average	BAbove average
Investment Range	$45K – $266K	$59K – $258K
Franchise Fee	$18K	$35K
Royalty Rate	1.0%	3.0%
Average Revenue (Item 19)	N/ANo Item 19 representation	N/ANo Item 19 representation
SBA Charge-Off Rate	14.2% (306 loans)	N/A
Total Units	3,150	89
Unit Growth (YoY)	-224 units	+32 units
Year Began Franchising	1974	2022
FDD Year	2025	2025